Growing up in South Africa, the name Nelson Mandela is more than history, it’s a living legacy. Mandela wasn’t just a leader; he was a beacon of hope, resilience, and unity during a time when division threatened to tear a nation apart. His belief in *Ubuntu* a philosophy that roughly translates to “I am because we are”has deeply shaped how I approach coaching children today.

Now living in England, I carry that spirit with me every day through my work at Kids Life Studio®. Ubuntu isn’t just a word; it’s a way of being that reminds us all of our interconnectedness, our shared humanity, and the power of community.

When we coach children, especially in today’s fast-paced and often fragmented world, embedding Ubuntu into our practice is essential. Children are not victims of their present circumstances; they are victors of their future. They have the strength, resilience, and potential to lead their own lives if we provide them with the right tools and environment.

Ubuntu teaches us that...

When we coach children, one of the biggest hopes we carry is that they’ll learn to lead their own lives with confidence, courage, and clarity. We want them to grow into young people who know who they are, what they believe, and how to stand tall when the world feels uncertain.

I believe there’s one thing we sometimes forget:  Children can only rise into that kind of leadership when we’re showing them how. Not through perfect lessons or clever coaching tools, but through who we are and how we show up, especially on the hard days. That’s something I’ve been reflecting on deeply lately

Children Learn to Lead by Watching Us Lead Ourselves

When a child walks into your coaching session, they don’t just listen to your words. They *feel* your energy. They observe how you handle stress, how you respond to feedback, how you treat yourself when things don’t go to plan.

That’s leadership.

It’s not about being the adult who’s always got it together. It’s about being the adult and coach who’s w...

July always feels like a turning point. It sits at the midpoint of the year a chance to pause, reflect, and recalibrate. In the world of Play Based Coaching®, it’s also a perfect month to harness the power of meaning through play.

Too often, coaching can become overly fixated on goals and outcomes but real change in children comes when we speak to what matters right now. That’s why celebration and commemoration days aren’t just dates on a calendar but they are also anchors for connection. When used with care and creativity, they open up symbolic spaces to explore feelings, values, relationships, and resilience.

So how can we use July’s global days as springboards for coaching that sticks?

🌍 World Population Day (July 11) — “You belong to the world”

In a world that’s increasingly fragmented, World Population Day invites us to help children understand their place in something bigger. This isn’t about statistics. It’s about belonging.

In a coaching session, this might look like:

* C...

Why is it that people have to be dishonest? I have been running my business long enough to know that I would never have reached my current milestones without having the privilege of standing on the shoulders of giants. I have learnt from other leaders in the field of motivation but I have never stolen from them, not credited them, nor have I passed their work off as my own. I take great pride in having reached my professional and personal goals through sheer determination and grit but never once did it cross my mind to be devious or underhanded to get ahead. 

Yet, again last week I found myself sitting in a meeting with somebody from a "competitor" organisation - something they did not disclose to me in advance. It was supposed to be a regular strategy call to find out if they were a good fit to work with Kids Life Studio®. Yet, all the person did was fish for clues. Ask strategic questions that showed no commitment to children but only a commitment to their partner organisations fina...

Today, South Africa marks Youth Day, a powerful moment of reflection and remembrance. On June 16, 1976, thousands of schoolchildren in Soweto marched against the apartheid regime’s attempt to force Afrikaans as the language of instruction in Black schools. Their protest was met with police brutality. Many were killed. Thousands were injured and a generation was traumatised.

That day became a turning point in South Africa’s history. And though I now live in England, and at the time was only two years old and living in South Africa—the legacy of 1976 still lives within me.

A Legacy I Inherited, and a Responsibility I Carry

I want to be clear: I am a white South African. My ability to live freely, to be educated, and now to do the work I do as a kids life coach was never under the kind of threat like those children from the Soweto Uprising faced. I didn’t grow up with the weight of systemic oppression on my shoulders the way they did. In fact, I benefited from the very structures they ...

In the world of child development and coaching, we often focus on structure, outcomes, and measurable progress. While those things matter, there’s a powerful tool many professionals who don't understand the neuroscience overlook...and that is play. Not just as a way to pass time, but as a core vehicle for transformation.

As life coaches, educators, and therapists who work with kids, we know that real growth doesn’t always look like goal charts and checklists. Sometimes, it looks like a spontaneous story, a messy art project, or a game that doesn’t have a winner. As we approach International Day of Play on June 11, it’s time to reframe our thinking: what if play isn’t a break from the work we do with children—what if it is the work?

This is the heart of my Play Based Coaching System®, my proprietary framework designed to help children grow emotionally, socially, and mentally through intentional, structured play. Built on years of hands-on experience in the classroom as a special needs...

Running low on ideas? Let June's Global Days inspire powerful coaching sessions with your clients!

As Play Based Coaches, we know that play is not a break from learning. It’s how children learn best but even the most experienced coaches can hit a creative wall.

This June, the world is observing several powerful international days that bring awareness to issues affecting children and their wellbeing. These commemorations are not just dates on a calendar but they’re entry points for your coaching conversations, building emotional literacy, enhancing critical thinking, and inspiring personal growth in the children you coach.

Take the opportunity to turn each global day into a meaningful, playful, and skills-based session with the children you support:

🕊️ June 4 – International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

Themes: Safety, voice, and emotional healing
Activity: “Safe Spaces Mapping”
Ideas: Use drawing or storytelling to help children map their personal “safe zones”. Eit...

In a world where technology evolves faster than ever, kids life coaching is at an exciting crossroads. Apps, AI, virtual sessions, and digital journaling tools offer powerful ways to connect, track progress, and personalize coaching like never before. But with great power comes great responsibility.

As a kids life coach, you’re more than a guide—you’re a mentor, a role model, and sometimes even a lifeline. That sacred connection can’t be replaced by screens or shortcuts. Technology should serve your mission, not distract you from it. Used well, it can help you reach more young people, stay organised, and even engage digital-native kids in ways that feel familiar and fun.

Always remember: no app can replace a warm smile, active listening, or the quiet magic of a face-to-face conversation. Kids thrive on authenticity. They know when you’re really there with them—not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. So let technology enhance your coaching, not define it with these 3 ways t...

I have a very serious question for you: Are You a Superhero or a Sidekick?

As a Kids Life Coach, I believe that you're kind of like a superhero. You swoop in with your superpowers of empathy, patience, and understanding, ready to guide, support, and inspire kids on their big life journey. The sad truth is that even superheroes can sometimes trip over their capes, right? There's a sneaky little villain that can creep up on us - it's called the Ego.

Ego - The Invisible Villain, loves to take centre stage. It whispers in your ear, telling you to stick to your favourite coaching methods because they're comfortable, even if they're not the best fit for the kid you're coaching. It makes you want to do everything yourself, rather than teaming up with others like our global network of Kids Life Coaches.

To avoid failing as a Kids Life Coach, I believe Teamwork is the Superpower we all need. Remember, even Batman needs Robin! Being a team player is all about joining forces with others to sup...

When I first embarked on my journey towards coaching children back in 2003, it was still a niche field. Initially, I was working solo with nobody to guide me nor to inform me of best practices. I had to figure things out for myself and I did a LOT of research, learning and growing for at least the first few years. At the time globally, there were only adult life coaches trying and desperately failing to coach children using adult techniques. This is why I developed my tried and tested Play Based Coaching System® that can be adapted to any niche within the niche of Kids Life Coaching.  Fast forward to today, and it's clear that Kids Life Coaching has evolved from just a niche to also being a necessity.

Back in 2000, I was approached by multiple people in South Africa asking me to offer them training after I was positioned as the expert in the space of coaching children. In 2014,this expanded globally and the Kids Life Coach Academy was born with a mission to offer easily accessible ...